The recent altercation between CKY's vocalist/guitarist Chad I Ginsburg and Alien Ant Farm's frontman Dryden Mitchell has escalated into a public feud, leading to CKY’s sudden departure from the European/UK tour they were on together. The incident occurred on November 9th, resulting in CKY being dropped from the tour lineup after Ginsburg reportedly punched Mitchell.
Commenting on the incident, Mitchell, the frontman for Alien Ant Farm, shared his frustration:
“Sadly, Chad from CKY hasn’t figured out how to cohabitate with others after all these years. They will no longer be on the Alien Ant Farm Tour through the rest of the UK shows after Chad punched me in the face earlier today. I’ve watched him treat multiple crew members and opening band members like trash through the Europe shows and cause general drama around our camp. Before the last Europe shows I went to Chad and asked if he had any issues with anyone specifically and if he wanted to have a meeting with the whole crew and bands to discuss what’s going on, he up ended the table in the dressing room and threw his phone, and then cancelled their show…”
Mitchell further explained that tensions continued the following day when he voiced his concerns to Ginsburg's manager:
“Today we still had business things to square away and I told his manager what a problem Chad was being, verbally, as well as f****** up the bus with all of his messes every day for other people to clean up… Well he punched me in the face and pretty much ran away like I imagine he’ll do for all of his future problems.”
Mitchell expressed gratitude for his restraint during the incident, saying he chose not to retaliate physically and apologized to CKY fans for the conflict. He emphasized his respect for other CKY members Jess and Elvis and confirmed that the tour would continue despite CKY's departure. Alien Ant Farm’s shows will proceed without CKY, with refunds available to those who prefer not to attend.
“Stay safe everybody,” Mitchell wrote. “And Chad, Go To The Gym… After That, Find A Therapist, And Maybe In 25 Years… We Can Shake Hands. Until Then Though GET HELP, Love Dryden.”
The day after, Ginsburg responded through his own social media, insisting his actions were in self-defense. He encouraged fans to seek refunds and suggested he would provide more details soon:
“UK CKY fans, get your money back!! I had NO choice and GOOD reason for what happened. I will always defend myself. You know me much better than that! More info to come. Apologies to the fans.”
Later, on November 11th, Ginsburg expanded on his account via his Instagram stories, explaining:
“Nothing wrong with defending yourself from a bad guy. If you are attacked or feel truly threatened, have no fear and stop the threat however you can. I had to protect myself. It was a split-second reaction to a very angry guy muttering then yelling #*%! at me from 10ft away charging at ME, into my personal space! Coming at me. He was attacking me! I felt a physical threat and had I not tried to avoid the attack, I would have been assaulted… This is not news… as unfortunate as the situation is altogether.”
Ginsburg also shared screenshots on Instagram that appear to show Mitchell using offensive language in a past post. He responded with, “@dryden.mitchell this you?” In additional posts, Ginsburg showed anti-Semitic comments he says he received following the incident, attributing these to Alien Ant Farm followers. He also highlighted a fan's account of being harassed by an Alien Ant Farm fan at a recent show.
Amid the fallout, Alien Ant Farm has announced a replacement for CKY on the remaining tour dates. The status of the bands' joint Australian and New Zealand tour scheduled for March remains unclear.
Finally, Ginsburg expressed his disappointment over the missed shows and his love for UK fans:
“It is no secret that the UK is CKY’s favorite place to play and the ticket sales prove that. Out of all this, nothing hurts me more than not being able to perform for the fans that had tickets, and I deeply apologize for any inconveniences this unfortunate situation has caused anyone…
Till we meet again UK, LOVE THE F*** OUT OF YOU AND IRELAND!!”
